9. Deion Sanders (left) and D.L. Wallace of Prime Prep found themselves in the spotlight for the better part of two months. Deion's initial firing and near-immediate rehiring was followed by Wallace's resignation, a TCAL football title and another firing of Sanders.

The Texas Education Agency has yet to open a formal investigation into Prime Prep Academy, the charter school co-founded by former NFL star Deion Sanders.

But disarray in the school’s leadership and concerns brought up by parents and the news media have caught the agency’s attention and could lead to an audit.

Problems in recent weeks have included Sanders’ on-campus assault charge, vague accusations of academic and financial trouble, and administrative in-fighting. Sanders has publicly said the school was mismanaged, and he helped force out his co-founder, D.L. Wallace.

“The Texas Education Agency is aware of various issues surrounding Prime Prep Academy,” said spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson in a written statement.

“TEA continues to be diligent in gathering information related to specific complaints regarding finances, special education and allegations of nepotism,” she wrote. “It would be premature to comment on any of the specifics until our fact finding in each of these areas is complete. However, TEA is prepared to take the appropriate steps should action be warranted.”

She said there is no formal investigation into the charter school, which has campuses in Dallas and Fort Worth. The schools opened in 2012.

State Board of Education chairwoman Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, said TEA staff told her this month that a financial audit of the school appeared likely.

“They are in the beginning of a process to do an audit, which I’m very happy about,” she said. The TEA’s “primary goal right now is what’s happening with the money.”

Finance concerns

Sanders and Charlie Garza, a former State Board of Education member and former Prime Prep principal, have questioned the school’s finances.

“I’m not concerned about any financial improprieties at this stage,” he said. “I have heard rumblings about potential issues.”

Lewis said he’s planning to call a meeting this month to seek input from Prime Prep parents. He also said there needs to be a comprehensive review of the entire school’s financial operations and debts and also a needs assessment.

Cargill also said concerns had been raised about special education instruction, although she did not know specifics.

“I was just told last week that there were indications from parents that there were issues with some of the teachers about how they were meeting the needs of special education children,” Cargill said.

It’s not clear whether any nepotism accusations are violations of state law.

Media reports said she had been working on the school’s finances and human resources as a volunteer. Lewis said she is actually a Prime Prep employee but that her role needs to be reviewed.

Recent changes in state law to crack down on charter school nepotism would not apply to Prime Prep or other existing schools. Previous rules are complicated but often permit nepotism at charter schools.

Multiple problems

Although controversy at Prime Prep reached a peak this fall, the charter school had had frequent and high-profile missteps from the beginning.

A lease and a marketing contract that would have enriched school officials had to be canceled as the charter was being finalized. A list of old corporate pledges to a Sanders youth sports league was mistakenly presented to the TEA as new financial pledges to Prime Prep.

Prime Prep officials also boasted about the rare feat of being accepted into the University Interscholastic League for the school’s inaugural season. After a high-profile fight with local UIL officials, Prime Prep dropped out of the organization because the school was unable to field eligible varsity basketball or football teams.

Bad news returned to Prime Prep near the beginning of the school year, when new state academic ratings were released. Prime Prep was among the 20 percent of charter schools that failed to meet state standards.

Ugly confrontation

Until this fall, there was little, if any, public criticism of Prime Prep from within its administration or among parents.

Sanders in particular promoted the idea that enemies — from the media to Dallas ISD to the UIL — were actively trying to prevent Prime Prep from succeeding. He often couched it in religious terms of good vs. evil.

That changed after Sanders was accused of assaulting chief financial officer Kevin Jefferson at an after-school staff meeting in October. Sanders was issued a Class C misdemeanor assault citation by Dallas police and faces just a fine if convicted.

Jefferson told The Dallas Morning News that Sanders grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. Sanders said there was a confrontation but that he didn’t assault Jefferson.

Prime Prep announced overnight that Sanders was no longer employed by the school.

Sanders lashed out, describing Jefferson as a “fake administrator,” telling WFAA-TV (Channel 8) that Wallace was only concerned about making money, and describing the school’s online curriculum as a failure.

“D.L. Wallace is no good. He’s a snake,” Sanders told WFAA.

Wallace was the school’s highest-paid employee at $130,000 annually, according to TEA figures.

Hours later, Wallace tried to brush off the dispute as a misunderstanding and announced that Sanders was back at work. Sanders said he would have an expanded role at the school.

“We are tight like brothers,” Wallace said, according to TV coverage of a Prime Prep news conference. “That’s not going to change.”

Parents outraged

Just a few weeks later, it was Sanders working to force Wallace out of the school. At a school board meeting captured by WFAA and KXAS-TV (Channel 5), parents and students berated top school officials for their squabbling and lack of leadership and discipline. Teachers were described as uncaring by at least one student.

In a resignation letter released this month, Wallace wrote that he had been planning a departure from Prime Prep since August. He wrote that he wanted to focus more time on his family and church ministries but would volunteer at the school.

Lewis said Wallace is no longer an employee of Prime Prep and isn’t affiliated with Uplift Fort Worth, the nonprofit that sponsored the charter school. Wallace did not receive a severance package.

Cargill said sometimes upheaval is necessary.

“It seems like things are coming to a head,” Cargill said. “It looks like now that parents are more informed, and they are really taking a stand. I encourage them to continue to do that. That’s what it’s going to take to get real change.”

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